Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but it definitely feels like something that needs help. Due to the fact that a team does not have to pay salaries if they finish 5th place, there is an inhererent financial advantage to tanking to avoid 3rd or 4th place if you don't think your team can make a deep playoff run. Even if you manage to make a deep playoff run, playing all your games on the road probably puts you in a situation where you are losing money those two weeks. I do understand that finishing higher helps your fan survey and will boost your attendence the following season, but I am not convinced it is equal.
I have a potential solution and my apologies if it has been posted before. The NFL and MLB in the United States only pay their players' salaries during the regular season. If a team is fortunate enough to make the playoffs, the players receive a bonus depending on whether they lose the game/series and it is significantly lower than the salaries they earn during the regular season. Furthermore, it is funded out of a central account (i.e. the clubs don't pay it out of their operating budgets, though they have paid into the central fund at some point).
Here is my suggestion: Have playoff teams pay reduced salaries during the playoffs, maybe 25%-40% of their regular season payroll. This would effectively mimic what the clubs pay in to the central fund.
Definitely open to feedback here! I really enjoy this game and I am just trying to make it even better!